This invention relates to the transfer of stacks of fabric or garments between the work surface of a sewing machine and a lower supporting surface of a mobile cart.
In garment manufacturing plants, bundles or stacks of cut or partially finished fabric workpieces are generally transported by mobile carts between sewing stations. At each sewing station the stack of fabric is generally lifted off the cart and placed on the work surface of the sewing machine at a higher level by the machine operator. Also, after a stack of fabric has been stitched, it is bundled and manually placed on a cart for transport to another station. The foregoing handling of the fabric stacks by the sewing machine operator reduces production rates and contributes to operator fatigue. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a system for transferring stacks of fabric between the supporting surfaces of sewing machines and mobile carts with greater ease and convenience in order to lower operator fatigue and increase overall production speed in the manufacture of garments.
Although power operated lifts for elevating and tilting of mobile or wheeled devices are well known as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,928,562 and 3,142,397, such apparatus are designed for unloading of receptacles into trash collection vehicles. No comparable power operated mechanisms have been devised for enhancing the transfer of work between otherwise horizontal surfaces at different levels, including the elevation of the lower horizontal surface to that of the higher surface and the tilting of the raised surface by a limited amount.